IJEBULAND AT THE EDGE: WHY THE ARREST OF A KIDNAP KINGPIN MUST SPARK IMMEDIATE ACTION

 

IJEBULAND AT THE EDGE: WHY THE ARREST OF A KIDNAP KINGPIN MUST SPARK IMMEDIATE ACTION

Michael Abiodun 08032317659

AN ORACLE’S WARNING OUR LEADERS MUST NO LONGER IGNORE

The warning has come again and again from elders, from the “table of oracle,” from ordinary citizens who see what leaders refuse to see. Yet the pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

Today, another call goes out. 

Not as a suggestion, but as a demand. Because when fire burns in our neighbor’s house, the wise man does not sleep with both eyes closed.

AN URGENT CALL TO ACTION: SECURE IJEBULAND NOW

To our revered custodians and decision-makers:  

Traditional Rulers, Hon. Dare Alebiosu Dr. Tunde Diya, 

Hon. Folusho Badejo,

Hon. Bolaji Odusanya, 

Dr. Oluwadare Kehinde, 

Dr. Ganiyu Odonoiki, 

Distinguished Senators, 

House of Representatives Members, 

Ogun State House of Assembly Members, 

Security Operatives, Community Leaders, and All Stakeholders; hear this.

1. The Wake-Up Call from Ijebu Ode

If kidnapping is ravaging neighboring states and communities, we cannot afford complacency. The threat is mobile. It does not respect borders.

The recent arrest in Ijebu Ode should shake us awake. 

A self-styled Seriki Fulani was apprehended with bags of ransom money. He confessed to kidnapping. This is not rumor. This is not speculation. A kingpin was caught red-handed.

But here is the most troubling part: the whole of Ijebu Ode went silent. No outrage. No demand for follow-up. No pressure to unravel his network.  

If one Seriki was caught with ransom bag in his kitchen, then he did not operate alone. There are cohorts spotters, informants, collaborators still hidden within our forests and communities. Silence now means we are giving them time to regroup.

2. How Long Shall We Wait?

How long before decisive action secures our borders and communities?  

Must our streets be flooded with protests before our fears are validated?  

Must our schools and homes become targets before we admit the danger is already at our gate?

Daily life continues, but parents now pray longer before their children leave for school. Traders close shops earlier. That fear is data. That anxiety is intelligence. Ignoring it is negligence.

Do we need to wait until a school in Ijebuland is attacked before we act?

3. What Urgent Action Must Look Like

This is no longer time for business as usual. Ijebuland needs immediate, coordinated steps:

1. Community Vigilance: Return to the old system of knowing your neighbor. Every ward must have a functional security committee. Strangers must be known, not hidden.

2. Aggressive Intelligence & Follow-Up: The Seriki’s arrest must be the beginning, not the end. Security agencies must extract names, locations, and supply routes. Then act on them fast.

3. Enhanced Border & Forest Security: Our boundaries with neighboring states and our forest reserves need joint patrols — Police, DSS, Amotekun, local hunters, vigilantes. No more ungoverned spaces.

4. Citizen-Security Partnership: Residents must report suspicious movement without fear. Leaders must protect whistleblowers. Trust is the strongest weapon against kidnappers.

4. The Cost of Silence

The safety of lives and property is a collective responsibility. Silence in the face of confession and ransom bags is dangerous. It tells criminals that Ijebuland is soft. It tells officers that their risks will go unnoticed.

We cannot wait for crisis to unite us. We must act while prevention is still possible. For our children. For generations yet unborn.

Conclusion: Act Now, Before We Mourn Later  

Let us not wait for tragedy to become our teacher.  

Let us secure our land.  

Let us protect our people.  

Let us preserve the future of tomorrow.

The time to act is NOW

Wake up, leaders.  

Secure our lives.  

Secure our communities.  

Secure Ijebuland.

The oracle has spoken. History will judge how we respond.

-Oracle of Peace ✍🏻²⁶